Rex A. Wade

This book is mainly a narrative history of the Russian Revolution in its two stages of February and October and everything in between. Rex Wade, a historian at George Mason University, has given a very accessible and solid summary of the developments, issues and people involved in this work. What's more, the book also pays significant attention to women, peasants, and the various minority nationalities, all groups that tend to be forgotten in the all too Petrograd-centered popular histories of the Revolution.

Wade of course also provides the necessary background, both historically (the emancipation of the serfs, the Revolution of 1905, etc.), and of the structure of the parties, their respective bases of power, and their internal points of strife. He does a great job explaining somewhat complicated issues such as the conflict within the Socialist-Revolutionary party, the basis of the split between Mensheviks and Bolsheviks, and the importance of "revolutionary defensism" to the Provisional Government and its subsequent downfall. Wade further shows that contrary to some allegations, the Bolsheviks and their left-radical allies did have a popular majority to overthrow the Provisional Government, though clearly NOT to disperse the Constituent Assembly. He rightfully points this latter act on the part of Lenin, heavily contested even within his own party, as illegitimate and unnecessary, but that the Bolsheviks up to that point had behaved perfectly in accordance with the newly developing soviet system.

"The Russian Revolution, 1917" is an excellent introduction to the history of that fateful year, and recommended for casual readers and beginners interested in the subject. Note that due to the introductory nature of the book, there is very little by way of economic analysis, nor is any significant attention paid to developments in culture.… (més)